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Saturday 4 auguSt 2018

Pentagon redoing space defenses, but will Trump demand more?

By ROBERT BURNS do combat. That is why a
AP National Security Writer Space Command is be-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- ing considered, since it
dent Donald Trump wants would be the combat arm
a Space Force, a new for space much as Central
military service he says is Command is the organiza-
needed to ensure Ameri- tion responsible for combat
can dominance in space. operations in the Middle
But the idea is gaining little East. Aside from the orga-
traction at the Pentagon, nizational issues, the Pen-
where the president's de- tagon's role in space is un-
fense chief, Jim Mattis, says der scrutiny because of a
it would add burdensome recognition that the United
bureaucracy and unwant- States is increasingly reliant
ed costs. on satellites that are dif-
The Pentagon acknowl- ficult to protect in space.
edges a need to revamp its Satellites provide commu-
much-criticized approach nications, navigation, intel-
to defending U.S. econom- ligence and other services
ic and security interests in vital to the military and the
space, and it is moving in economy. Whereas space
that direction. But it's un- has long been America's
clear whether this will sat- technological edge, it is in-
isfy Trump, who wants to go creasingly seen as its Achil-
even further by creating a In this July 30, 2018, file photo, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis attends a swearing in ceremony for les' heel. War in space is not
separate military space ser- Robert Wilkie as Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Oval Office of the White just Hollywood fiction. The
vice. House in Washington. U.S. intelligence agencies
The administration intends Associated Press reported earlier this year
to announce next week the that Russia and China are
results of a Pentagon study Hill including Sen. James In- gon to begin the process Trump's focus has generat- pursuing "nondestructive
that is expected to call hofe, a member of the Sen- of creating a Space Force ed an unusual level of talk and destructive" anti-satel-
for creating a new military ate Armed Services Com- as a new branch of the mili- about space, but with little lite weapons for use during
command — U.S. Space mittee who opposes a sep- tary, but he did not repeat clarity. a future war.
Command — to consoli- arate Space Force but is the phrase he used in June "At the moment, there is A related problem that the
date space warfighting open to creating a Space — a "separate but equal" no concrete proposal on Pentagon has struggled
forces and making other Command. The command service. That may open the table for what a Space to address is the sluggish
organizational changes would coordinate the use the possibility of the Penta- Force will look like or what it pace of developing and
short of establishing a sep- of space forces of existing gon proposing to establish will do," said Brian Weeden, acquiring satellites through
arate service, which only services, such as those that a cadre of space experts an Air Force veteran who is the Air Force Space and
Congress can do. Any leg- operate military satellites, that would be part of a director of program plan- Missile Systems Center,
islative proposal to create but would not be a sepa- space "corps" attached to ning at the Secure World which could be replaced
a separate service would rate service. the Air Force rather than as Foundation, which pro- by a new space develop-
likely not be put on the ta- Mattis's chief spokeswom- a separate service. motes peaceful uses of ment agency.
ble until next year. an, Dana W. White, said On Friday, Trump hailed the outer space. "It's just sort of In an interim report to Con-
Mattis, who said prior to Friday he believes that news that NASA has named a notional concept." gress in March on ways to
Trump's "Space Force" an- consolidating space func- the astronauts who will ride Weeden points out that reorganize its space orga-
nouncement in June that tions will "ensure we move the first commercial cap- creating a new service nizations, the Pentagon
he opposes creating a new at the speed of relevancy. sules into orbit next year. would not address what is said it is making changes
branch of the military for Space is a joint warfighting "We have the greatest fa- generally seen as a need to "ensure that we are pre-
space, said afterward that domain that the U.S. must cilities in the world and we for a more coherent force pared for" potential con-
this would require "a lot of dominate." are now letting the private to defend U.S. interests in flicts in space. This includes
detailed planning." Trump mentioned as re- sector pay to use them," he space, since by law a ser- making satellites more resil-
Mattis is allied on this with cently as Tuesday that he tweeted. "Exciting things vice recruits, trains and ient to potential attack by
key Republicans on Capitol had ordered the Penta- happening. Space Force!" equips troops but does not Russia or China.q